there is a well known allergy to neoprene or whatever it is in sheet rubber that causes it. this first presented itself within a year or two of my founding QR. the best i can tell you is this:

1. it seems as if the wetsuits that have seam tape on all the seams (on the inside, fabric side) are better for this.
2. the collar may be a particular trouble spot and, if so, a collar design that minimizes the amount of contact with the raw rubber (the smoothskin side) is preferable.
3. i believe we use to make suits with a collar out of a material called hypalon, just for folks with neoprene allergies.
4. do you wear a rash guard, or a tri suit, or something that shields your skin from the rubber? of course this is hard to do in a fullsuit, down the arms. but otherwise, have you tried that?

---

Dan Empfield
aka Slowman

Dan,
Interesting points for me to think about:
I looked at a photo posted of the inside of a Roka wetsuit, the smooth rubber around the neck is the basic line of my rash on my chest/neck. Also, the un-taped seams definitely are a problem area, can see a line from them!

I usually wear a short sleeved jersey under my suit (which is a 5 or 6 year old 2XU) With the roka, since all my races got cancelled, i was swimming open water and once in a pool with no shirt. I guess I will have to change to always wear something underneath to at least limit the reaction, or chance of a reaction

I'll look at how the neckline is made as I'm looking at new suits too!

So is asking the manufacturer what they do to limit, or what they do in consideration of potential allergy problems a fair question?

What do people think about the Zone 3 suits - Vanquish and Aspire? The Vanquish being on sale right now for $450 I'm tempted to give it a try. Just have not heard much about their suits. Other option is waiting for Roka to have a sale and going with the Maverick Pro - sitting at $750 currently.

I’ve never used the vanquish but the aspire was outstanding and is still usable at 7 yrs old, I have gone down a size since I bought it but sometimes wear it during the winter here when I cram the swimrun shorty underneath it.

Have to say in terms of value for money the aspire is extremely hard to beat. I’ve wanted to test out the vanquish as I have heard very good reports. It’s supposed to be a forgiving suit, with super suit performance but also the extra core support for those who need it.

If you want to have max shoulder flex go for the vanquish. Excellent suit, well made and good buoyancy on the legs. The arms are really thin on the outside part of the arm as well at the gripper panel -which i just don’t get my brands still do this in their design- but the thinner material makes it a bit cooler in colder water temps.

But overall outstanding quality.

Jeroen

---

Owner at TRIPRO, The Netherlands

One of my training buddies has the Vanquish.
He's 6ft-6 and little body fat
He really likes the shoulder flexibility + than he could get something that actually fits him without being built for someone who's 300lbs and like a neoprene tent.

His comments mirror Jeroem's he loves it but says I'm the thin panels don't keep him warm enough when it gets cooler (so read that as anything below about 17C (62f) - but he's a soft lad !! - if I limited my swims to being over 17C I'd hardly ever get wet !

I've owned four wetsuits over the last twenty years (rented before that). My first suit was a sleeveless Ironman bought in 2001. Still have it. No tears. I'm not sure what we are calling wrinkles but there may be a few. Always hung it on a hangar inside out in the garage. I'm sure I raced in it over 40 times. I wouldn't hesitate to wear it today for a comfortable sleeveless temperature race. Bought two XTERRA sleeveless @ $99; two different sizes as I was experimenting. At that price they are like running shoes. I probably only wore those a handful of times with acceptable results. Bought my first full suit in '19, XTERRA Vector Pro for ~$200. Wore it twice; once in Taupo and swam a ~33 and this September in Chattanooga and swam a ~53. I thought it fit great for a full suit. Unfortunately I never got it back in my bike bag in Chattanooga and I consider it stolen since it had my name and phone number in it. So now I'm back to having three sleeveless suits. XTERRA has the Vector Pro on sale right now for $199. I may buy another at that price but I won't be spending more than that for a suit as I just can't justify it based upon my past experience/performance with the "cheap" XTERRAs.

Just wanted to vent but I'm disappointed in how obnoxious and/or nonfunctional wetsuit graphics have become.

I'm frustrated with loud logos and things. Does it matter at some level? Maybe not but then again I don't understand why they can't keep things simple, and or focus on more functional issues like safety.

Orca has the right idea with some of their suits I think — simple black with a simple logo, and safety orange on the arms and legs for visibility:

https://www.orca.com/...n-core-openw-hi-vis/

I'd prefer to see more things like this, focusing on the functional aspects of graphics rather than ... well I'm not sure what to call it.

De Soto used to get this right I think? It seems like not too long ago their suits were fairly simple with discreet logos. Compare earlier...

https://cdn.shopify.com/...biostroke1_large.jpg


... to later...

https://cdn.shopify.com/...3_Front_01_large.jpg
https://cdn.shopify.com/...3_Front_02_large.jpg

Not sure why they changed.